Towards the end of the war, there was little food to choose from in Holland, but even in good times, Oma used to tell her children, "Je eet niet omdat het lekker is" - you don't eat because it tastes good. We'd like to turn that dour sentiment around with these recipes for delicious Dutch food. Eet smakelijk !

Opa in the tuin

Boerenkool met Worst

Farmer's Cabbage (Kale) with Sausage

2 bunches of young kale, washed
2 kg yellow potatoes
6 - 8 pre-cooked smoked sausages
Milk, butter, salt and pepper for mashed potatoes

Peel and chop potatoes, boil until tender. Mash, but don't whip. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper so mixture has a chunky but not dry consistency.

Strips kale from stems and tear into bits. Place in saucepan with the smoked sausages on top and cook in a tiny amount of water, 5-10 minutes until limp. Drain water if any left.

Stir mashed potatoes and kale together and place in a large dish with the heated sausages on top. Serve with a dollop of mayonnaise or mustard.

Our Dad says this dish is best the second time around, fried in a pan for lunch.

Heidi, Kristen and Tracy in Amsterdam

Hollandse Snert

Hearty, Traditional Pea Soup

3-1/2 cups split green peas
3 litres water
1 lb. bacon or ham, cubed, or 1 lb. spareribs
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
1 lean smoked sausage (worst)  

Bring the split peas, water and ham, bacon or ribs to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Skim off any scum that forms.

Add celery, carrots and onion and simmer for another hour or until the soup becomes thick.  If using spareribs, remove them with a slotted spoon. Strip the meat from the bones and return the meat to the soup.

Slice the smoked sausage and add, cooking for another 10-20 minutes. 

Traditional Dutch pea soup is hearty and thick. Be careful if adding salt, since the sausage and bacon are usually salty enough!

Serve with a dark rye bread and a tall glass of Grolsch.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a sharp pointy knife remove a conical bit of the hard bitter inner stem from the bottom of the endive. Pre-boil or steam for 5-10 minutes, depending on size.  Drain well. Wrap each well-drained endive in a slice of ham, and place in an ovenproof dish. Melt the butter in a saucepan and blend in the flour. Add the milk slowly, and stir or whisk the mixture for smoothness. When the sauce is thickened and hot, reduce heat and add the grated cheese, stirring till the cheese is melted. Season with salt, paprika, pepper/cayenne to taste.

Pour sauce over the ham-wrapped endive, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and place in the oven until heated through and the breadcrumbs have formed a golden-brown crispy crust. Serve with a fresh salad and chilled white wine.

This recipe comes from Dad's wife, Helen, who is also Dutch. We always lick our lips when she serves this dish. She says the last step with the breadcrumbs is optional. Dad says it is essential!

6 cups chopped red cabbage
1 cooking apple, peeled and sliced
3 cloves
4 whole black peppers
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
 

Melt butter in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven. Add cabbage, apple, sugar, lemon juice and seasonings. Cover and simmer an hour or more, until cabbage is tender.   

This recipe was passed down from Oma to our mother, when our parents first married, and became a favourite of the authors growing up. For our birthdays, we got to choose the menu, and this Dutch treat made the cut more often than any other dish.

4 cups milk
2 tablespoons anise seed
1 tsp. Grated orange rind
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Tie anise seed and grated orange rind into a cheesecloth bag. Heat the milk in a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add cheesecloth bag and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour. Remove bag. Combine cornstarch with sugar and add to the flavoured milk, stirring constantly till mixture thickens.

10 eggs
½ tsp salt
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1-2/3 cups brandy
1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Separate the eggs and beat yolks with salt and sugar until mixture becomes thick. Continue beating while slowly pouring in the brandy. Transfer to a heavy saucepan or double boiler and heat gently, whisking constantly until warm and thick, but not hot. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and serve warm, sprinkled with nutmeg.

Back in Overschie, it was said that our great oma, Neeltje de Korte, made the best advocaat, which she stirred on the porch overlooking the Schie Canal.

3 cups seedless raisins
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 whole cinnamon stick
4 cloves
4 cups brandy
sterilized canning jars

Place raisins, cinnamon stick and cloves into a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until raisins are soft and swollen. Remove cinnamon stick and add the sugar, simmering another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the brandy. Pour the mixture into sterilized glass jars, seal and set in a cool place for at least four weeks. You may strain and serve as a drink fit for any country lad, or keep the raisins and liquor together and pour into small dishes to serve as a dessert.

Jenever, Dutch gin, is the stereotypical Dutch liquor, jokingly referred to by the English as "Dutch courage." The reference harkens back several centuries to the days when the Dutch were besting their English brethren in the race for domination of the high seas. The concoction given here stems from the idea that a man's man drank jenever, while the more timid - the boerenjongens - drank this. Our great uncle, Sjaak, would have enjoyed the joke, as he used the term as a nickname for our opa, Gerrit.

1 envelope dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
2 eggs, well beaten
1-1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 cups seedless raisins
3 apples, peeled and diced
Frying oil
Icing Sugar

Soak together yeast, sugar and the 1/2 cup lukewarm milk for 10 minutes. Mix this with eggs, remaining milk, vanilla and salt. Beat in flour, proceeding slowly. Add raisins and apple. Cover bowl and let rise 1-1/2 hours. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls into hot frying oil. Turn if necessary; some balls will turn by themselves when cooking. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with icing sugar while still hot.

Serve as a New Year's Eve treat with strong Dutch coffee or hot chocolate. 

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